Workshop “Epistemic values and their scales”
18 November 2025
Philosophy department & lab. MAPP, Université de Poitiers, France
What exactly is assessed through so-called epistemic values, such as simplicity, scope or explanatory power? Do these values mean the same when applied to retrospective assessments, such as hypothesis acceptance, and to prospective assessments, such as those concerning pursuit-worthiness? Can some epistemic values be decomposed into others? Can epistemic values be assessed using various kinds of scales—binary, ordinal or qualitative, quantitative, probabilistic—or are some scales unsuitable for some values? Are quantitative or probabilistic scales the gold standard in science, or can qualitative grading be just as defensible in some cases? If multiple scales can be applied, how do they relate to each other and how can value judgments be converted across different scales? Do epistemic values and their associated scales apply equally to theories, hypotheses, arguments, and propositions? This workshop will explore these and related questions to advance our understanding of epistemic values and their scales, in science and in common knowledge.
In person: Hôtel Fumé, Guillemet room (3rd floor), 8 rue René Descartes, 86000 Poitiers
On line: https://univ-poitiers.webex.com/meet/thomas.boyer.kassem
10:00 Welcome
10:15-11:00 Paul Égré (CNRS, Paris, France) “Multidimensional Vagueness and Evaluative Expressions”
11:00-11:45 Pekka Syrjänen (University of Helsinki, Finland) “Dimensions of Predictive Success” [slides]
Pause
11:55-12:40 Dunja Šešelja (Ruhr University Bochum, Germany) “Inquisitive Values, Inquisitive Appraisal and the Collective Inquiry” [slides]
Lunch break
14:30-15:15 Mark Anthony Dacela (De La Salle University, Philippines) “Scaling Collective Traits as System Properties”
15:15-16:00 Cyrille Imbert (CNRS, Nancy, France) “Simplicity, Complexity, and Their Scales”
Pause
16:15-17:00 Thomas Boyer-Kassem (Université de Poitiers & Institut Universitaire de France) “Improving Kuhn’s Account of Theory Choice with Ordinal Epistemic Scales” [slides]
17:00-17:45 Jérémy Attard (Aix Marseille Université, France) “Maximization of Informational Corroboration as a Unifying Epistemic Value”
Drinks & Conference dinner
Organizers
Thomas Boyer-Kassem (Université de Poitiers, France)
Dunja Šešelja (Ruhr University Bochum, Germany)
For questions, please write to thomas.boyer.kassem@univ-poitiers.fr
Funded by Thomas Boyer-Kassem’s Junior Institut Universitaire de France Chair.